"What is the most common cancer?" asked Debra Youngfelt, Health Educator from the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute at a West End Rotary Club meeting.
"If you said skin cancer, or nonmelanoma, you are right," she said as she shared some astounding facts.
More than one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States.
By the age of 18, most people have received 50-80 percent of their lifetime sun exposure.
Most skin cancers are either basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma, depending on the types of skin cells involved.
Skin cancer is almost always curable when detected and treated early.
The sun is the cause of at least 90 percent of all skin cancer.
Skin cancer is preventable.
"You can protect yourself and your family all year round by following a few rules," Youngfelt said and then outlined what each person should do to protect themselves against skin cancer.
Do not sunbathe.
Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, especially between the hours of 10 a.m.-4 p.m., the peak hours for harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
When outdoors, use sunscreen rated SPF 30 or higher. Apply them liberally, uniformly and frequently.
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